Connecticut western news., 1887-09-28
A RICH REDSKIN.
An Indian Who is Building a
 Railroad Out West.
The Wonderful Career of An
 Inventive Aboriginal.

inventive Aboriginal.
 A recent letter from Newton. Mo-, to the Kansas City Journal says: Had any one predicted quarter of century ago that an American Indian would build railroad he would have been considered a fit object for a lunatic asylum. But to-day the people of Newton County, Mo, ascounty adjoining the Indian Ter 6tory witnessed a scene such as mnn never before beheld. Matthias splitlog, half Cayuga and half Wyan- dotte Indian, botn in an Indian village in Canada, today at Neosho drove the first spike for the Kansas City, Fort Smith and Southern Railway. This di- vision of the Kansas City, Fort Smith and Southern railway was chartered the Sth of last March under the laws of the State of Missouri, with capital of $3, 900, 900, and now there are about B miles graded and ready for the iron.
 Mir. splitlog has furnished the ''sin- ews of war" out of his own ample for tuue and is backed by heavy capitalists to complete the road, and before the 1st of next January he will have the cars running from Joplin, in Jasper County, to the town of Splitlog, in Mcdonald County, distance of about thirty five miles, and Matthias Splitlog, the mil lionaire Indian, who is probably the rich est man of his race, will henceforth be known all over the country as the only Indian railroad man Cat least the frst) in the United States or in the whole world.
 The occasion of driving the first spike on the main line of this new road was a matter of more than ordinary interest to the people of Ncosho. At 3.15 there were about one thousand people assem- bled at the point where the main line crosses the Frisco track. After music by the Indian band from the Territory, and selections by the Neosho band, Mir. Charles w. Smith, Auditor of the con- struction company, held the spike in po- sition, and in four bold strokes MT. Splitlog drove the spike home into a carefully selected whiteoak tie. Cheer after cheer was given for the road, Matthias Splitlog, Neosho and the enter prise, after which many came to the track to look at the spike. Mir. Split . log yielded the sledge with a familiarity and precision which indicated that he had used his sledge with good effect when he built his steamboat on the De- troit river.
 MT. Splitlog was born in the year 1913, and while boy was apprcnticed to a carpenter and millwright, and, al- though his wages were only $7 per month, young splitlog thought he was getting rich. He imbibed love for machinery and inven lions which has made his life useful and eventful onc In the year 184s young splitlog joined the Wyandottes, who were the last of the Indian tribes then in Ohio. In 1843 Splltlog came west with some of the tribe, and found, after his arrival at Westport landing (now Kansas City), that he only had 50 cents in his pocket. He induced an old Indian to go his se- curity for the price of an axe. With this axe he cut cordwood for the steam boats at 25 cents per cord, and, after paying for the axe, which cost $2, he soon saved enough to buy pony.
 About the year 1864 he married Eliza Barnett, grandniecc of Harry Jacques, the old Indian who went his security fo1 the price of the axe. Her father was ehead chief of the Wyandottes when he died in 1888. Her mother was part Wyandotte and part Seneca Indian. They have family of five children four sons and one daughter. Splitloe was never idle, and in most of his under. takings he was successful. At an early day he built mill near Wyandotte, which was first run by horse power and afterwards by steam. Sp.itlog's mil was success and was long an old land mark near Wyandotte. He began te speculate in real estate, and, although he can neither read nor write, he has been one of the most successful specula tors in the neighborhood of Kansas City and is to-day worth over 1000, 000
 Many interesting incidents could bt
 written in connection with his uscfu
 life.